Wednesday, June 13, 2007

One Way to Solve the Temple Mount Issue

Have the Temple rebuilt in...Missouri.

Well, that's Mormon doctrine:-

2 Yea, the word of the Lord concerning his church, established in the last days for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion, which shall be the city of New Jerusalem.
3 Which city shall be built, beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and dedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and others with whom the Lord was well pleased.
4 Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall be reared in this generation.
5 For verily this generation shall not all pass away until an house shall be built unto the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it, which cloud shall be even the glory of the Lord, which shall fill the house.


More:-

Audrey Godfrey, a historian who has written books with her husband, Kenneth, said of Romney, "If I were one of his relatives, I would be upset with him."

Another case arose when George Stephanopoulos of ABC News asked Romney about a Mormon teaching that Jesus will come to the United States when he returns to reign on earth. Romney responded that the Messiah will return to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, "the same as the other Christian tradition."

Grover said some of his radio listeners were astounded.

"They were just in disbelief, saying, 'That's not true; Jesus is coming back to Missouri,"' Grover said. "It's the LDS Church's 10th article of faith that Zion will be built upon the American continent."


And more:-

79. Rev. 21:2-5 The descent of the New Jerusalem.
80. Rev. 21:10-27 The description of the holy Jerusalem.
81. Ether 13:9-12 The descent of both cities is described.
82. Rev. 21:10 The descent of the holy Jerusalem.
83. Rev. 21:16 The holy Jerusalem will be cube-shaped: 1,500 miles long, wide, and high.


For the uninitiated, here's Mormon theology, the short version:-

Bible history tells us that Zedekiah began his eleven-year reign over Judah about 600 BC. For years the prophets of the Lord warned God’s people to repent or surely the Lord would destroy Jerusalem. Because of their failure to heed the warnings, Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians about 588 BC. The temple was destroyed, the walls torn down, and the people were either killed or taken captive into Babylon.

The story in the Book of Mormon begins here — in Jerusalem during the first year Zedekiah was king of Judah, about 600 BC.

Three groups of people came from the East to the New World. And spiritually speaking, the Book of Mormon means "Book of the Restoration of the Covenants."
Mormon (310-385 AD) was the "chief editor" of the record. The book of Mormon begins its narrative by centering on the Prophet Lehi and his family.

In Jerusalem, during the reign of King Zedekiah, there lived a man named Lehi. Lehi, a prophet, took his family and left Jerusalem in 600 BC, just prior to the fall of the city to the Babylonians. He had been warned of God to flee. Traveling south, making their way eastward, the family eventually came to the shores of the sea.

Lehi and his wife, Sariah, had four sons: Laman, Lemuel, Sam and Nephi. God had commanded Lehi to bring with him brass plates on which was written a record of the Jews and their forefathers. The brass plates contained the writings of Isaiah and much of what is now known as the Old Testament.

While leaving Jerusalem, Lehi and his family were joined by another family whose father was named Ishmael. Ishmael had five daughters, besides two sons who had families of their own. Both families were descendants of Joseph, the son of Jacob [Israel]—that same Joseph who ended up in Egypt a slave. These two families intermarried and gave birth to children, which eventually became two great nations.

Lehi’s son, Nephi, was given instructions by the Lord on how to build a ship—of which carried the two families to the Americas, a land "…choice above all others." The families landed up and down the coasts of Central and South America. By revelation they realized they had come to the Land of Promise. The land called "Joseph’s Land." They arrived about 589 BC and began establishing their culture and colonies.

The father, Lehi, died and his sons split into two factions: Laman and Lemuel sided together and Sam went with Nephi. Followers of Laman became known as Lamanites and followers of Nephi became known as Nephites. The Lamanites were wicked warriors; prophets of God led the Nephites. They were the more righteous group and their story is contained in 14 of 15 books making up the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon tells of the struggles, the wars, and the interrelationships between these two groups.

Approximately 320 years later, the people of Zarahemla were discovered. They were the Mulekites. Mulek was the son of King Zedekiah of Judah and left Jerusalem for the New World around 586 BC. His people also journeyed in the wilderness and were directed of the Lord across the ocean to the Americas. The Mulekites, as a people, merged with the Nephites around 200 BC.

Jesus comes to the New World

Twenty-five hundred people gather at the temple in the Land of Bountiful to see Jesus descending from heaven. All people feel the wound in Jesus’ side and the nail prints in his hands and feet. The place? The land Bountiful. Today known as Mesoamerica. (The Land of Mormon, today known as Mesoamerica, covered two-thirds of Mexico, Guatemala, and parts of El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.)

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